June 27, 2018

Thankfully, nobody gets the real reason for unwavering Trump support

The media, the Democrats and the left would have you believe that the reason for president Trump's high level of support among Republican supporters is that because he's Hitler and Republican voters are Nazis, or at a minimum, they are all racist, bigoted, homophobic, mouth-breathing Neanderthals. That's awfully simplistic and simply a salve for their hurt feelings over losing the election in 2016.

But a lot of conservative media also misunderstand president Trump's support, at least in part.

The GOP nominated Trump because he represents the views of a majority of the party’s voters. His views on immigration have at times been bluntly and offensively expressed, but polls have shown for years that nearly half of the GOP’s general election voters want to deport illegal immigrants. Will is upset by Trump’s tariffs, which he called his “border folly,” but clear majorities of Republican 2016 primary voters thought international trade cost America jobs. The so-called “Muslim ban” that has so outraged some NeverTrumpers? Analysis of the primary and general elections show it was the single most important reason Trump won both races.

The same holds true for other issues motivating other prominent NeverTrump figures to break ranks with the GOP. Some are furious over the President’s now-rescinded policy of separating children from parents who seek asylum at the border, but polls showed that Republicans supported it by a wide margin. Prominent evangelical conservative writers frequently criticize their co-religionists’ embrace of Trump, but most evangelical voters think their position is too tenuous to question a deal for judges and policy with a man whose ethics they may privately deplore. A plurality of Republicans also think NATO helps our allies more than it helps the United States, a 2016 Pew poll found. Trump’s calls for our NATO allies to spend more or else risk American disengagement is anathema to prominent NeverTrumpers who write about national security, but such demands reflect the views of a very large number of Republican voters.

All true, but not the whole truth. To understand why the support has not only not faltered but indeed stiffened go back and look at the first sentence above. Back in 2008, this happened:

But instead of doing what his supporters begged for, McCain did this:

Seeing the enthusiasm for McCain's VP nominee, Sarah Palin, candidate Trump was ahead of the curve on understanding the frustration of Americans, while John McCain just did not get it. Palin did, but McCAin was just to anemic to win. In 2012, Mitt Romney was still too reserved and allowed a potential win to slip away. The frustration remained pent up for eight years and only grew.

What Main Street America wanted was someone who would push back against the creeping socialism, and someone who was not afraid to fight back hard. President Trump understood that earlier than most and he still gets it. And here's how it plays out:

-Americans see someone who has resolve and fights back when attacked and it is clear that resolve applies to global politics as well as political opponents using personal attacks. McCain was Neville Chamberlain and Donald Trump is General George S. Patton. Honestly, who would you rather have as a leader? Peoople want a leader with a backbone; president Trump clearly, unapologetically, has a backbone.

-Americans who support the president's policies empathize with the attacks because attacks on him represent attacks on them. In fact, increasingly, the attacks are now coming directly towards Trump supporters because attackers are realizing that president Trump WILL fight back.

-Because the attacks are incessant, the empathy is steeling the resolve of his supporters. The fact is that the attacks are personal, and clearly an attempt to bully the president and conservatives into submission, the empathy, and the resolve of supporters has two possible outcomes - submission or fighting back. President Trump's resolve has inspired Republican voters to be like him instead of John McCain.

Combined with president Trump delivering on conservative justices, tax reform, jobs, better trade deals and immigration reform the notion becomes that president Trump is fighting for me so I will fight, or at least vote, for him.

The irony that liberals and Republican never-Trumpers fail to realize is that the attacks only help president Trump and like-minded individuals in Congress to win. I for one have come to a peace with the idea that hopefully the unhinged Left, just keep it up for another 7 years or so.